Rope Swing

The following rope swing was hung from a tree branch in my back yard for under $20.  The primary expense was 25 feet of 3/4 inch manila rope which I purchased at my local Home Depot for 67 cents per linear foot.  While the rope I used is sometimes referred to as manila hemp, it does not actually contain any true hemp fiber.

Materials for the Swing:
25 feet of 3/4 inch manila rope
One 15 inch length of 1" x 6" (3/4" x 5.5") pressure treated pine for the seat
One 10 inch length of 2" x 4" (1.5" x 3.5") pressure treated pine to secure rope to tree limb
Spade drill bit 1.125in
Contact cement for the ends of the rope to prevent fraying
Duck Tape
Sand paper
Tape measure
Ladder (in order to use the minimum amount of rope necessary to keep the cost down)

Additional Materials (used to measure the exact height and guide the rope up and around the limb)
Nylon twine
Tennis ball
Screw eye

There are other methods that could be used to measure the height of the branch and pull the manilla rope over the tree limb, but this one was the quickest for me in the given situation.

First screw the screw eye into the tennis ball so that it is firmly gripped into the rubber and will not easily come out.  Tie the twine to the eye and pull out a good amount of line so that there is enough to play out up and over the branch with plenty slack and no significant pull on the ball.  It may take several tries to thread the line where you want it by throwing the ball up and over the limb (in my case it was only three or four).

I used the draped line as shown above to measure the exact height of the limb using my tape measure so that I could purchase just the right amount rope to get the job done.  This was achieved by securing the tape measure to the end of the line and pulling the opposite end so that the tape measure would wind out up to the limb height in a straight line from the ground level.  It came to 21 feet in my case (just short enough for my 25' tape measure).

I purchased 25 feet of manila rope so that I would have a few feet extra to secure the rope to the tree and and the seat of the swing.  A five inch diameter limb will take up about 15 inches of rope to get up and over the limb and secure with a knot in this configuration (3.14x5 = 15.7 in).

Now the twine line can be used to pull the manila rope up and over the limb as shown below.

Tie the one end of the rope through the 2x4 as shown below.  A simple over hand knot is large enough to prevent the rope from slipping through the hole.  Use contact cement to seal the end of the rope and the knot and duck tape around the rope near the end.

Next thread the other end of the rope through the second hole of the 2x4 and pull it so that the 2x4 slides gently up to the tree limb and secures the rope at the top end.  This part was done up on my ladder because the length of rope I purchased required me to ascend nearly half the distance to the top of the swing.  (25 feet of rope only reaches down about 12 feet when doubled over on the branch.)

There may be more simple arrangements, but this will allow the swing to be more easily adjusted or removed from the tree in the future.

Thread the rope through the hole in the seat and check for the proper height of the seat above the ground.  Tie a double knot at under the seat at the preferred height and test the swing before cutting off the excess and using the contact cement and duck tape to seal up the bottom end.

Cut off the excess rope and seal it with the duck tape and contact cement.

Here I have added a small hook into the tree and screw eye into the side of the swing to position it out of the way when not in use.

It may not appear this way, but this rope swings clear above the fence behind it.